Thomas henry catherall



No. 610,228. Patented Sept. 6, I898.

T. H. CATHERALL. LINOTYPE MACHINE.

{Application filed Mar. 13. 1897,;

(No Model tNVENTDR VVITNEEE JWMLW Y NllE" STATES;

PATENT THOMAS HENRY CATHERALL, OF LQNDQN, ENGLAND.

LlNOTYPE -MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming e Letters Patent no, 619,228, "datedseptember 6, less.

Application filed March 13, 1897. $erlal No.

627,446. on man.) Patented in England October 23, 1896, No. 23,590, and

December 11,12396,'No. 28,399.

To all whom it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRYCATH- ERALL, engineer, a subject of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 50 Novells street, Poole Park, Fulham, London, S. W., England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relatingto Linotype-Machines, (for which I have applied for grant of patents in Great Britain, Nos. 23,590 and 28,399, dated, respectively, October 23, and December 11, 1896,) of which the following is a specification.

The improvements constituting my invention consist of an improved adjustable mold for casting such lines of type or printing-surfaces of varying heights or letters of different sizes and means by which two such lines or surfaces, each consisting of different-sized letters, may be successively cast from the same mold without having to'change the mold or remove the assembled matrices therefrom, as hitherto.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved mold, while Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same as viewed from right to left of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the right-hand half of Fig. 1, partly in section and showing the second or lowest position of the alineme'nt-strip in contradistinction to that shown on Fig.1 and hereinafter explained. Fig. 4 is a section of Fig.6, taken upon the line A B, Fig. Fig. 5 is a'perspective view of one of the said printing bars or strips.

In many linotype-machines as at present made and used a slot is formed in the moldwheel for receiving the mold to be used, each of which said molds is provided with a cast-,

ing-slot adapted for casting type-bars with letters of a given size, and when a bar has to be cast having letters of a larger or smaller size than the one previously cast the said mold has to be changed, which means loss of of the required dimensions. 'Agaim'it has been proposed to construct matrices for linothe matrices are assembled in front of the' mold; but the said molds are not adapted to cast a type-bar from each set of letters one after the other. My improved mold is adapted to overcome both these difficulties and capable of adjustment, so as to cast type-bars or printing-surfaces having any size letters, (within reasonable limits,) and by a simple and easy means to shift the position of the assembled matrices, so that a casting may be taken from both sets of letters therein, if de sired.

My improved mold consists of two parts or blocks M and N, cast or otherwise produced from any suitable metal, which may be connected together at d in any convenient way by'the means of bolts or screws, such as e, or otherwise. The shape, size, contour, and configuration of M and N, collectively, may vary to suit the surrounding conditions of the machine or such as may render them adaptable for easy fixation by means of screws f to the slot or opening provided in the moldwheel 0 for their reception, and for the purposes of explaining my invention 1 have assumed that the general formation of M and N is substantially that shown by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4:. The said upper part or block M is so constructed that an aperture P, of suitable height and length, is rm-jmee" therein in such a position as to coincide with the casting-slot in the mouth of the melting-pot of the machine, and within the said aperture is placed a metallic plate got the same length, the ends of which, it h, are bent downward at right angles and occupy recesses j in the block N, while the back of same, 70, is bent upwardly at right angles and occupies a recess Z in the back face of the block M. The space between the under horizontalsurface of the said plate 9 and the upper surface of theblock N constitutes the height of the castingslot, through 'which the molten metal from the melting-pot is forced to the assembled matgive place to themold having a castingeslot rices R, as at Fig. 4:, and in order that the height of the said space may be adjustable, so as to cast thin or thick lines of type or printing-bars S, Fig. 5, carrying letters of varying heights, I form upon the ends it and h of the plate g horizontal projections or lugs m m, having threaded holes, with which engage the lower ends of finely-threaded screws 11, n, the upper ends of which. are provided with heads 19 p, seated within recesses r r in the front face of the block M and so formed as to be easily rotated in either direction from outside the mold by means of a spike or brad-awl engaging with holes therein, and such rotation of the said screws would operate to raise and lower the plate 9 (according to which way these are rotated) and so increase or decrease the distance between this and the upper surface of the block N and so increase or decrease the height of the casting-slot of the mold and permit the casting of thin or thick printing-bars S, carrying small or large type, as may be desired and as provided by the intaglio letters on the matrices R.

In the under surface of the metallic plate g I provide two or more grooves s, preferably of V shape in cross-section, so as to easily leave the mold, and by the means of these corresponding ridges t are formed upon the uppermost side of the line of type or printing-bar S, as shown in Fig. 5, and these I intend to serve in lieu of leads for spacing one line of type from the next when set up for printing, and the said ridges can be easily trimmed true and reduced in depth, if desired, during the process of trimming the line or bar of type, and for which my improved adjustable knife is particularly adaptable.

I have previously stated that one of the salient features of my said improved mold is to provide means by which assembled matrices having each two intaglio letters may have a casting taken first from one row of letters and then from the other, if desired, without taking the said matrices from the mold. To attain this, I form in the front face of the block N a recess or groove T, perfectly horizontal upon its lower surface T, but tapered upon its upper surface T the latter being preferably of the same length, or thereabout, as the plate g, and within this groove I place a metallic plate V, of less width than the said groove and which I choose to term an alinement strip or plate, the upper surface of which is tapered to correspond with T and in the said plate Iprovide angular slots 10 and w, through which pass screws Y Y, which serve to attach the plate V to the block N and permit the same to have a travel horizontally equal to the length of the said slots and vertically equal to the distance between T and T as shown by Fig. 8, the lower surface of the said plate being always in perfect alinement with the casting-slot of the mold or the upper surface of the block N, and against the said lower surface of V the usual lower projections Y of the matrices B would be caused to abut, as at Fig. 4, and be fixed thereto by the usual means, and by the thus raising and lowering of the plate V the said matrices may be raised or lowered so that either row of intaglio letters Y therein may be brought facing the casting-slot of the mold, as shown at Fig. 4. The said alinementstrip may be adapted for use with any of the molds in present use by forming in such molds a groove, such as T.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, I declare that what I claim is- 1. In a linotype-mach'ine in combination with the mold having an adjustable slot composed of the fixed part having a slot therein with a movable plate inserted in said slot and independent of the opposite walls or parts which form the said slot, the said movable plate being adapted to move toward and from the opposite wall and the screws for operating the movable plate, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a linotype-machine, a mold M, N having recesses P, j and l, a plate g therein having depending ends it h entering the recesses j and an upturned back moving in the recess Z, the lugs m m on the plate 9 and the screws engaging the said lugs for adjusting the plate 9, said plate having the grooves s, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a linotype-machine, the mold having a groove T and a plate V in said groove connected to the mold by the screws Y Y passing through inclined slots, in the said plate whereby the same may be adjusted vertically and horizontally in relation to the mold-slot, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS HENRY CATIIERALL.

Witnesses:

HENRY CONRAD IIEIDE, GEORGE THOMAS HYDE. 

